Narrative:

After landing, taxi near collision with C172. We landed on runway 19R. The first officer made the landing. It was his first landing at sna. He did a great job getting on the runway early even though it was a firmer touchdown than desired, it allowed us to turn off at taxiway east. I took the aircraft at about 80 KIAS and turned off the runway to the left at taxiway east and then another immediate left onto taxiway a. As I turned onto taxiway a I noticed an opposite direction high wing single engine cessna heading south on taxiway a at a high rate of speed. I slammed on the brakes and stopped the aircraft on a northeast heading partially on txwys east and a. The cessna, which appeared to have only one occupant in the right seat, never slowed down. He just moved to the left a bit and cruised on by. Passenger on the right side of the aircraft had a clear view of the conflict and commented as they left the aircraft. We never expected the traffic conflict as we turned off the runway onto taxiway east. Tower never advised us to hold short of taxiway a or that there might be a conflict as we cleared the runway. The controllers were very busy that day as there were many light aircraft operating and my first officer was unable to talk to ground as we cleared the runway or for a few moments after we made our panic stop. If you look at the airport diagram you can see that taxiway east is very short and to be clear of the runway an MD90 will be very close to entering taxiway a. The length of an MD90 is almost as long as that taxiway. Also, neither ground or tower commented to us on the cessna traffic or near collision on taxiway a as we continued on to the gate. A reasonable man would have expected to be clear to turn onto taxiway a in this situation with an aircraft like an MD90. But, I was not cleared beyond the turn off of the runway by tower or ground control. Controllers were very busy and the frequency was congested. We could not get instructions to taxi beyond the runway turn off and I should probably have stopped short of taxiway a even if it meant we were still not clear of the runway. In the future I plan to turn off all runways with short txwys very very slowly and cautiously unless I hear from tower some taxi instructions to follow after my turn off. If I am asked to expedite off the runway for landing traffic and there is a short taxiway or no high speed and I don't get taxi instructions, I'll ask for taxi instructions or tell them I can't expedite.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF AN MD90 HAD TO STOP FAST DURING TAXIING OFF RWY ONTO THE TXWY DUE TO A FAST TAXIING C172. THE C172 CONTINUED TAXIING FAST AND MOVED TO ITS L TO PASS THE R SIDE OF THE MD90. THE RPTR DID NOT HAVE CLRNC TO TAXI BEYOND THE RWY TURN OFF.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG, TAXI NEAR COLLISION WITH C172. WE LANDED ON RWY 19R. THE FO MADE THE LNDG. IT WAS HIS FIRST LNDG AT SNA. HE DID A GREAT JOB GETTING ON THE RWY EARLY EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A FIRMER TOUCHDOWN THAN DESIRED, IT ALLOWED US TO TURN OFF AT TXWY E. I TOOK THE ACFT AT ABOUT 80 KIAS AND TURNED OFF THE RWY TO THE L AT TXWY E AND THEN ANOTHER IMMEDIATE L ONTO TXWY A. AS I TURNED ONTO TXWY A I NOTICED AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION HIGH WING SINGLE ENG CESSNA HEADING S ON TXWY A AT A HIGH RATE OF SPD. I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES AND STOPPED THE ACFT ON A NE HEADING PARTIALLY ON TXWYS E AND A. THE CESSNA, WHICH APPEARED TO HAVE ONLY ONE OCCUPANT IN THE R SEAT, NEVER SLOWED DOWN. HE JUST MOVED TO THE L A BIT AND CRUISED ON BY. PAX ON THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT HAD A CLR VIEW OF THE CONFLICT AND COMMENTED AS THEY LEFT THE ACFT. WE NEVER EXPECTED THE TFC CONFLICT AS WE TURNED OFF THE RWY ONTO TXWY E. TWR NEVER ADVISED US TO HOLD SHORT OF TXWY A OR THAT THERE MIGHT BE A CONFLICT AS WE CLRED THE RWY. THE CTLRS WERE VERY BUSY THAT DAY AS THERE WERE MANY LIGHT ACFT OPERATING AND MY FO WAS UNABLE TO TALK TO GND AS WE CLRED THE RWY OR FOR A FEW MOMENTS AFTER WE MADE OUR PANIC STOP. IF YOU LOOK AT THE ARPT DIAGRAM YOU CAN SEE THAT TXWY E IS VERY SHORT AND TO BE CLR OF THE RWY AN MD90 WILL BE VERY CLOSE TO ENTERING TXWY A. THE LENGTH OF AN MD90 IS ALMOST AS LONG AS THAT TXWY. ALSO, NEITHER GND OR TWR COMMENTED TO US ON THE CESSNA TFC OR NEAR COLLISION ON TXWY A AS WE CONTINUED ON TO THE GATE. A REASONABLE MAN WOULD HAVE EXPECTED TO BE CLR TO TURN ONTO TXWY A IN THIS SIT WITH AN ACFT LIKE AN MD90. BUT, I WAS NOT CLRED BEYOND THE TURN OFF OF THE RWY BY TWR OR GND CTL. CTLRS WERE VERY BUSY AND THE FREQ WAS CONGESTED. WE COULD NOT GET INSTRUCTIONS TO TAXI BEYOND THE RWY TURN OFF AND I SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE STOPPED SHORT OF TXWY A EVEN IF IT MEANT WE WERE STILL NOT CLR OF THE RWY. IN THE FUTURE I PLAN TO TURN OFF ALL RWYS WITH SHORT TXWYS VERY VERY SLOWLY AND CAUTIOUSLY UNLESS I HEAR FROM TWR SOME TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO FOLLOW AFTER MY TURN OFF. IF I AM ASKED TO EXPEDITE OFF THE RWY FOR LNDG TFC AND THERE IS A SHORT TXWY OR NO HIGH SPD AND I DON'T GET TAXI INSTRUCTIONS, I'LL ASK FOR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS OR TELL THEM I CAN'T EXPEDITE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.